Ehud Barak was the 10th Prime Minister of Israel. Barak was born in 1942 on Kibbutz Mishmar in what would become Israel six years later. Barak is the Chair of the Labor (Avodah) Party.
Barak joined the Israeli military in 1959 and moved through the ranks while working on many high profile operations including Entebbe. In 1983 Barak became head of Aman, the Israeli military intelligence wing. He later was head of Central Command, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Chief of Staff of the IDF.
Barak began his career in politics after retirement from the Israel Defense Forces. He held several ministerial portfolios before becoming head of the Labor Party in 1996. He became Prime Minister of Israel in 1999, defeating Benjamin Netanyahu.
Barak lived up to a campaign promise leading the withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000. Barak’s failed negotiations with the PLO at Camp David led to the Second Intifada. Barak’s extensive negotiations with the Palestinians ultimately led to nothing beyond proof that Arafat and his PLO had no intention of joining in a peace deal. Barak’s term ended in 2001 as Likud’s Ariel Sharon won the next election.
In 2001 Barak left politics for a business career. He returned to politics in 2007, defeating Amir Peretz in a Labor Party election. He has held the Defense Minister position ever since.
Ehud Barak remains the chair of Labor and hopes to regain his role as Prime Minister in the elections next week.
This post is part of a series titled Prime Ministers in History. The series focuses on the lives and careers of the men and women who have held Israel’s highest office.
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